Her father's eyes
by la-perla's mermaid
Summary: With Vicky Nelson, not even daddy issues can be ordinary. Post deep dark. I don't own anything. to sarah margaret zitter: i couldn't respond because your e-mail wasn't displayed i think mine is now.
1. Chapter 1

Her father's eyes

Four year old Victoria Nelson played in a park nearby her kindergarten, her mother watching close "don't you dare to stay out of my sight young lady" she had warned, knowing how curious and mischievous that little girl could be. In fact, Vicky had already spotted an intriguing set of bushes a few meters away.

To everyone else there was nothing out of the ordinary in them, but for one moment Vicky saw a bouquet of flowers grow from their branches, in seconds the beautiful flowers blossomed only to wither away as fast as they grew. No one saw them now, but Vicky knew they had been there, like a dream that became true. So when her mother looked away to speak to one of her friends she seized the opportunity to take off and as fast as a girl her age could be (which was a lot) she ran towards that particular corner, but those bushes were farther than they seemed, she took a lot more time to reach them than expected and by the time she did, the playground was out of sight.

Disoriented and a little freighted she tried to come back the way she came from, but nothing was in place anymore, the park became a thick forest surrounded by darkness. Out of the sudden a shade emerged from the trees, turning into a man. He was tall, his skin was of a deep bronze and his eyes were as blue as hers. She was scared and tried to run but he moved his hands and spoke in a language she had never heard before, in that moment her feet were frozen and she wasn't able to move, the mysterious man reached his arms towards her and told her in a gentle, mesmerizing voice

–"Come with me Victoria"-

Vicky gasped as she woke up, bathed in cold sweat and fresh tears falling from her eyes, it was a weird dream. She was used to nightmares, especially those who included a well known vampire telling her goodbye, a familiar detective turning his back on her or worse: Astaroth taking control of the city and later of the world, not before possessing her entire being. But a childhood based nightmare? What the hell? Oh well, her wrists weren't flaring or anything so it probably meant nothing, just a little joke from her fucked up subconscious.

She got up from the couch in her office, she should try to sleep in her own apartment for once, maybe those strange nightmares would go away leaving her alone to deal with the rest of her problems, such as her broken heart and the dread of facing an evil beyond her understanding.

-"Vicky, are you all right?"- Corinne asked shyly while offering a cup of coffee.

-"Yup, just fine"- She didn't realized her voice was shaking.

-"Maybe you should sit down, take a moment and let it go. It's okay to cry sometimes, you've been through a lot lately"- Her assistant told her sympathetically.

-"What are you talking about?"- and that's when Vicky realized she was still crying, she wasn't sad (not more than usual) but her eyes watered as if they had a mind of their own. To make things worse, there was a tightening feel on her chest, at first she thought it was a panic attack "way to go Nelson" she thought "You just lost the two men you cared for the most, why don't you lose your sanity while you're at it?" But it couldn't be a product of hysteria and sleep deprivation, there was no anger or dread, all she felt was an overpowering feeling of hope and relief, it was an epiphany of sorts.

-"It is time Victoria, you must come to me. I command you. But first, take my gift"- the voice from her dreams spoke.

Tears kept falling freely from her eyes, now coreen was sure her crying wasn't emotional, there were no sobs or anything, aside from the crying he boss seemed peaceful. She watched in horror as the tears went from transparent to gray and then became black in which point Vicky fell unconscious.

……………………………………………………………………………………

Mike's cell phone rang, in its screen the caller ID said "Vicky", and he ignored it. Because of her and the darkness that always followed his life was going to hell, she was strong, she could take care of herself and if not he was sure that bloodsucker of hers would be more than happy to help. Part of him couldn't help worrying but he decided it was best for every one if he just turned that infernal device off and resumed the paperwork in front of him before his boss finally loosed her patience and fire him.

……………………………………………………………………………………

It was official. Corrine HATED Mike. Her friend was lying limp in her couch with black tears on her face, there was nothing that ordinary medicine could do about it, Henry was not only out of town for good but he was probably asleep since it was noon and the only man they could come for help just decided not to answer the phone. Exasperated she tried to find the answer in one of her books until Vicky stirred and slowly woke up.

-"Vicky are you alright?"- Corinne squealed while she gave her a spine-breaking hug.

-"I would be a lot better if you weren't squashing my lungs"- she said forcing her friend to let go.

The PI stood on unsteady legs finding enough balance to walk a few steps, as she wiped the strange black liquid from her face she realized in awe that her vision was clear, not only her retinitis pigmentosa was gone leaving her field of vision completely clear but she wasn't shortsighted anymore. For the first time in her life her vision was a hundred percent perfect.

No one could guess the joy she felt at that moment, for a terrifying minute she thought Astaroth might had been responsible, but the marks on her wrists never reacted. No, evil could never be involved in something like this, it could never feel this pure and beautiful, she told Corinne about it and they spent who knows how much time jumping around like idiots in her office, but they didn't care. For once in a very long time a wonderful miracle had happened.

Later that afternoon Rajani called and asked her to pass by the coroner's office, she thought about declining and taking the day off, but the MD sounded distressed.

As soon as she stepped into the morgue Rajani greeted her with a grave expression.

-"What is it? you said it was important"-

-"It is Vicky, a badly decomposed body was found in the foundations of a building that was imploded last week. It appears to have been placed there at least ten years ago."-

-"Well, is there anything weird about it. I mean did it have fangs or anything?"-

-"There doesn't seem to be anything supernatural about it, the reason I called you is because I was finally able to identify him. Vicky, you should sit down."-

-"Just say it, what could be so serious about it?"-

-"The victim was identified as Frank Nelson"-

It was surreal, hearing those words. But the file in her hands was as real as her. Frank Nelson, the man that abandoned her when she was a little girl, her father, was dead.


	2. Chapter 2

She had no idea of what to do, but she knew she would have to get out of there fast, the walls surrounding her became oppressive and the air got thicker, but there were some questions that needed answers

-"What's the cause of death?"- Vicky managed to croak out.

-"There wasn't much left, only an incomplete skeleton, but the preliminary report says he was stabbed in the chest with a very large blade. Vicky do you want me to call Mike? You look rather pale"- Rajani approached her ready to catch her in case she fainted, she could see the trembling on the other woman's hands.

-"I'm fine. Any suspects?"- Her voice was only a raw whisper.

-"No, we don't have much information right now but there is an investigation, they might find something."-

-"Let's be realistic for a minute, there is already more recent thefts and murders than the police can handle, no one's gonna care for a guy that's been dead for over ten years"- She said bitterly.

-"You're here Vicky, you care"- Rajany said kindly

-"No, not really. I have enough in my hands right now" She said while throwing the file in an empty examination table. –"He was right, sometimes walking away is the right choice, and that's what I'm planning to do"- She was out of the morgue by the time she finished her sentence.

Rajani ran her hands through her distangled hair. Two dead bodies were found, one was thrown in the gutter, his torn corpse showed signs of being attacked by a large, unknown beast, the other one was found on an empty storage, with severe burns and the heart was taken away. They were dressed with strange, medieval type armors of a metal she wasn't able to identify and a strange tattoo on their shoulders. On different circumstances Vicky would have been the right person to investigate, but right now she had more pressing issues. Mike would have to be the one that took care of things this time.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

There was a place in Toronto that only the extremely rich could afford, a hidden neighborhood far enough to have large states surrounded by vast nature but at the same time well connected by roads so the residents can have an easy access to the center of the city.

In that place there was a mansion owned by a mysterious man named Norieth. To most people he was just a successful writer, a genius. But in reality he was one of the most powerful creatures in the universe. His race was considered a legend, even among sorcerers, vampires and other dark wanderers.

As powerful as he might be, he still had people above him. His lord had informed him a great battle would take place soon and he sent his daughter with a small group of human soldiers on a secret mission, so secret not even Norieth knew all the details. His instructions were simple: accommodate the princess and her entourage and provide them with all they requested. Luckily the princess was a caring, sensible person and Norieth found himself at her service not only because he was ordered but because he wanted to, he could tell that what they were doing was vital for the well being of this world.

Arlon, the general of the human warriors, walked through Norieth's main hall towards his private studio, in there he found his host sitting by a desk next to Xiang Sei-Lin, his princess. As a plain human he was crossing the line by talking to her without asking for permission but times of war affected etiquette.

-"You highness my I speak to you?"- He was careful not to raise his voice in spite of his anger

-"You may. Is there anything wrong?"- The beautiful Chinese woman said

-"I was supposed to look for the stone tonight, but then I was told my mission was cancelled. I would like to know why"-

-"We are trying a different approach, I'll send Ludican instead"-

-"Let me remind you Sei-lin that Ludican was assigned as your personal guardian, if you send him you will be unprotected"- Norieth interjected.

-"I'm aware of that, but I already sent two soldiers to fetch the stone and they were brutally murdered a few hours after their departure, I won't make that mistake again"-

-"I won't fail, I promise"- Argon said eagerly

-"Don't make promises you can't keep"- Sei-Lin answered with a stern expression

-"Maybe you should let them try, there is too much in stake Ludican should be our last resort"- Norieth told her

-"There is a difference between collateral damage and sending people to die for nothing. I made my decision"- The princess said as an ultimatum

-"I'm afraid your father made the decision for you, Arlon will go and if he fails we will consider sending Ludican. That's what I was trying to tell you before our young friend busted in"-

-"I request to leave immediately, your highness"- Arlon said proudly

-"Why? Obviously my opinion doesn't count"- Sei-lin sighed in defeat –"Just go and do your best to survive"-

The young soldier saluted and left with an arrogant smile, he would succeed were others failed

Norieth placed a comforting hand on his princess's shoulder and said –"It was the right call"-

In spite of her graceful demeanor her rage became visible –"No it wasn't! That poor boy is gonna get killed just because my father doesn't care for human lives, to him everyone is just a pawn for him to use as he wishes to."-

Norieth had known her father personally and he wasn't sure if that statement was true, he seemed to care about humanity as a whole but a single human was, in his mind, completely expendable. In this particular case everyone knew several human lives would be taken away, good honest persons would die and that didn't seemed to mind to his lord, especially when his own children were at stake.

-"He does care for you Sei-Lin, and your sister as well. Isn't she the reason why you are here?"-

-"She is, I just hope we make it in time"-

…………………………………………………………………………………………….

Mike was fighting a headache that dreaded to break his skull and the squeaky voice on the other side of the phone was NOT helping. Rajani told him Vicky's father was found dead so he called Corinne to make sure she'll take care of her.

-"Look Corinne I'll investigate his murder and hopefully once Vicky gets some answers she'll be able to find closure"-

-"Right now mike she doesn't need closure she needs you! Her father's been dead for ten years he can wait a few more days, but right now Vicky is broken hearted and she needs a shoulder to lie on."-

It was tempting; to go to her and make her feel better, maybe for once in over two years it could be just them at least for a while. Corinne told him Henry was gone but he was sure that leach would come back anytime; he wouldn't be surprised if that vampire was hovering around her in that precise moment. If he came to her he would be wrapped around her finger again, his hopes would get the better of him and one fine day, maybe tomorrow or a decade from now Henry would come back and she would throw everything to go with him, leaving Mike with nothing, no career, no companionship, nothing.

-"Goodbye Corinne"- He said coldly

-"Fine Mike, go away. Vicky has enough problems already she doesn't need an asshole like you"- The Goth responded in a raw angry voice. She was heading towards her apartment already and found Vicky on her bed, a nearly empty bottle of bourbon on her hands.

She didn't know what to do or say so she just crawled on the bed by her side, her boss didn't complained, she just stared with a blank expression at the ceiling a few hours later they were asleep. At first Vicky felt numb when she woke up the morning after, she blamed it on the hangover but suddenly she was invaded with the same feeling she had the day before, hope and relief. This time she also felt fear as a powerful energy pierced her chest and flooded her entire being, she ran out of air, her breathing came in deep gasps and her body convulsed. It was so intense that she wanted to scream, cry, run away, but her body was frozen and unable to move and a few seconds later it was over, she felt detached from her physical form as her spirit flew away towards freedom.

………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Mike hung the phone with a deep sigh and rubbed his eyes as if trying to wipe the tiredness away. Everyone in the precinct heard the heated conversation and was staring at him. Kate sat by his side and told him softly

-"So… you're taking Nelson's case?"

Mike just nodded

-"I don't mean to rain on your parade, but if you get involved with Vicky Crawley will…"-

-"Put my ass on the street, yeah Kate I'm aware of that. But just because Vicky almost cost me my job doesn't mean she shouldn't have justice for her own father."- He answered as his mood went from bad to worse. The only reason he wasn't canned was the alarming increase in crime that followed the return of Astaroth, one freaky crime after another and no one could come with a logical explanation, much less a clue. The worse were two young men found dead with no ID, no evidence and on top of that they looked like they came right out of middle earth! His hands were full, but he wouldn't let Vicky's father case unsolved, no matter the cost.

-"I'll take care of it"- Kate said after thinking in silence for a few minutes

-"What?"- Her partner chuckled.

-"Crawley is watching you, not me. If I investigate Nelson's murder no one will suspect anything, hell they wouldn't even believe it"-

-"You do realize you'll have a lot less time to solve your other cases"-

-"I do, Vicky might not be my favorite person but you're right, she deserves justice for her father just as any other murder victim's relatives and if this is the only way to keep her from destroying your career then so be it"-

-"I don't know Kate"-

-"It will be my first priority"-

-"You're a great partner you know that?"- He told her warmly

Seeing the deep affection in Mike's eyes she couldn't help blushing, he invited her for drinks and she eagerly accepted.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..


	3. Chapter 3

Arlon crossed the street, heading towards the address his fellow soldier gave him before he disappeared.

This world was stranger than he though, the polluted air made it hard to breathe, there was a lot of noise too, everyone yelled at each other but no one seemed to have something useful or constructive to say. Back home, everyone saluted you at least by bowing their heads but in here nobody acknowledged the presence of the people around them. They saw him as if he were a strange creature, probably because his clothing was different from theirs, many laughed disrespectfully. He saw persons who were obviously malnourished, with ragged clothing begging for help, in his nation all neighbors would have come in a rush to provide assistance but here nobody even pretended to listen to their pleas. What was even stranger was that when he offered to take them away from this world into a better place they ran away calling him psycho and many other colorful appreciations.

According to his sources, the stone was in the home of a psiquick reader, rumors said she had joined Astaroth and helped him crossing over to this world, in exchange he gave her superhuman powers, and it was likely that she were the one who killed his mates. The front door of the luxurious house was open as he carefully stepped inside he heard the voice of an older woman

-"I knew you would come"- She said as she stepped into the well lit living room

-"I know who you are witch, and I've come prepared. Give me the stone now or else…"- He said in a confident bravado.

-"To be honest, I've had no idea why is that little stone so precious. Sure a diamond that size has to be expensive, but that's not enough to be worth all this trouble right? Of course I knew there was something special about it, when I killed Melgar the last thing he did was trying to protect it"-

Arlon winced in despair, Melgar was a powerful white sorcerer and the main keeper of the stone, he was a good man and he would have been a great leverage on the upcoming battle.

-"You won't be able to use the stone; it cannot be activated by black magic. Surrender now or…"-

She said some arcane words and a ball of fire formed in her hands, she threw it at the soldier but an invisible shield turned the fire off before it got to him, in that moment a blue mark glowed on the young man's forehead. The witch muttered a course; this kid wasn't as stupid as the other ones before him, he casted a protection spell on himself. Skipping the foreplay she concentrated a ray of pure, raw energy and directed her towards Arlon, but his reflexes were sharp and dodged in the nick of time, she tried to do it again but it took to much time and energy, by then he had gotten close enough, he unsheathed the large sword in his back and shoved it in the witch's chest. She sighed and fell to the floor with a shocked expression on her face. In a swift motion he removed the blade from the woman's torso and begun to search for the diamond, but then he heard cracking sounds behind him. He turned to see the witch standing up, the scar on her chest healed in seconds, she laughed evilly.

-"Astaroth made me immortal kid, you might be better than me in combat but my master also gave me a pet, and it's time for you to play with it."-

A dark cloud emerged from her shrieking mouth and it materialized into a griffin like demon, its roars pierced the cold air of the Toronto night.

……………………………………………………………………………………………..

A cool breeze blew over Vicky's face, waking her, she stretched and yawned loudly. As she prepared herself to get out of bed the memories of the previous day rushed through her mind, her father's death and on the other hand the miraculous healing of her eyes. After all the previous drinking she had she expected a hell of a migraine, but instead she fell fresh and renewed, in fact she hadn't felt better in her entire life, it was so good it was almost unnatural.

When she opened her eyes she yelped in surprise, she wasn't in her bedroom anymore. Above her there were the branches of an exotic tree, they fell to the floor in every direction, creating a natural cave that seemed to envelope her in a cocoon of emerald green leaves, the log was right behind her head, one of its roots supported the back of her neck like a pillow, as she sat up she saw she had been lying on a large amount of white fresh flowers, the entire place was covered in them, so much she couldn't see the soil underneath. She got up and when she saw herself realized she was wearing a white knee long dress, it wasn't so bad the delicate fabric allowed the vigorizing fresh air to envelope her body and it was quite comfortable, still it wasn't something she would normally wear, especially on mid December. This had to be a dream it was too weird, even for her. The mattress of flowers felt soft under her bare feet, filling the place with the smell of jasmine and white roses.

-"Oh well, at least this is a nice dream. I kinda got used to nightmares by this point."- She chuckled –"I bet there's a pink pony waiting me outside, that or a butt naked Brad Pitt with a couple of winning lottery tickets"-

As she got out of the tree all she saw was a park covered in snow.

In spite of wearing a sleeveless wrap dress of flimsy cotton in the middle of a frozen landscape, she wasn't cold, she could actually feel the cool snow falling on her skin but it didn't cause any discomfort, she turned around and found out the cave-like tree was gone. Instead the winter wind and snow created a white haze. Distantly she heard sounds she couldn't recognize and walked towards them, as she did the white haze faded and the outline of a city street was visible.

Captain Crowley cursed as her newly bought coffee fell from her gloved fingers. The cold in this time of year was cruel, especially at this early hours, it was six thirty and the sun wouldn't show up until three more hours. Still she was the boss and had to give and example, the crime rate had spiked recently and the mayor was on her ass, elections were close and his opponent for the reelection used the lack of security as a big part of his campaign. That jerk wanted the city as clean as a whistle but of course he wasn't the one doing all the job, no all the actual work landed on her always tense shoulders and as the chief of the precinct it was her job to bring results, even if the cost was her health and sanity.

Out of the sudden she felt the distinctive smell of flowers, she was the only person in the street and in her rush to go to work she didn't put on perfume, it smelled like they were actual fresh flowers instead of a manufactured scent, which was impossible since nothing could bloom in this weather. Then she saw a figure approaching from the park in front of her, at first she thought it might be a mugger but as the figure got close she saw a barely clothed woman wandering. She ran trying to help the girl and when she got to see her face she found it hard to believe

-"Nelson is that you? What the hell happened?"-

Vicky's chin dropped when her dream turned into a nightmare. Crawley appeared out of nowhere, threw her coat on Vicky's shoulders and dragged her into the car.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter four

Two hours later Vicky was in a hospital room, when Crawley saw her wandering half naked in the middle of the night she immediately assumed Nelson had been drugged and possibly raped. A similar case happened a week ago, some pervert found women in bars or pubs, put roofies on their drinks, raped them and then threw them half naked in public parks, some of them made it to get some help but at least three died of hypothermia. No one ever knew who the guy was; the survivors weren't able to remember his face.

Nelson didn't looked like she was attacked but Crawley was sure she had been drugged since half the way to the hospital she kept pinching herself saying she had to wake up.

Detective Lam stepped into the hospital corridor and saw her boss wandering in front of Nelson's room where she was being examined. Crawley's orders were clear, she had to take care of Nelson's case and make sure Celucci was kept away from the investigation. Kate couldn't help being worried, Nelson was a trouble magnet and a pain in the ass but she didn't deserved to be attaked, especially with all the information she had on her father's murder since soon she would have to discuss several awkward details with her if they wanted to solve the case.

She was considering sending Crawley to hell and call Mike; if Vicky was actually raped she would need all the help available. Her musings and Crawley's muttered curses about being late for a meeting were interrupted when a young female doctor came out with a tired expression, as a patient Vicky was difficult… to say the least.

-"No sign of sexual assault, actually there's no sign of trauma or hypothermia whatsoever. She doesn't have a single mark on her body"- The doctor said surprised

Both Lam and Crawley released the breath they been holding.

-"So she's fine. That's a relief, but what the hell was she doing wandering around like that?"- Crawley asked the doctor frustrated

-"She said she drank last night, maybe the alcohol made her do this. Still, the result of the tox screen will let us know if there was another drug involved"-

-"Well Lam, it's your case I expect a report by the end of the day"- With that, Crawley left the hospital in a hurry.

Kate resigned her hopes of having a quiet conversation with the alleged victim, there's no way nelson would be easy to talk, so she entered Vicky's room and found her arguing with one of the nurses

-"How do you feel?"- Kate said neutral

-"Like I told everyone already I'm fine! I just had a little too much to drink, that's all"- Vicky answered pulling out the i.v. that was stuck on her arm.

Kate decided to let the subject go; at least until the tox screen results were ready

-"I have a few leads on your father case, would you mind if we talked about it?"-

Vicky's face fell, old wounds were now open and bleeding through the surface

-"Are you in a cult or something?"-The thick elder nurse asked suspiciously staring at her forearms, cutting the tense silence

-"No it's just a tattoo now get off!"- Vicky answered already in a bad mood

-"No it's not; you drew it with a pen didn't you?"- The woman chuckled

-"What the hell are you talking about?"- Vicky was about to show that nosy woman a piece of her mind when the nurse took a white cloth, soaked it with alcohol and wiped off the marks from her forearms in one swift motion. The signs that had been stuck on her skin for over two years and linked her with a demon more powerful than anything she had ever imagined were now removed without effort by a nagging stranger.

……………………………………………………………………..

Lam offered to take Nelson to her apartment so they could talk about Frank's death, she was worried about the pi, and she didn't spoke on the entire ride and keep looking at her forearms in awe. Kate also noticed a change on the other woman, she looked younger and there was an ethereal aura around her, in spite of the healthy color on her cheeks she seemed frail and her features were now more delicate. The detective shrugged; maybe it was all in her head.

Corinne was waiting for them at the doorstep, when her boss disappeared that morning she looked everywhere she could think of, thankfully Vicky called her as soon as she got to the hospital.

Before her perky assistant jumped at her with questions she asked her to get some coffee so she could speak with Lam in private, before the girl left Kate told her discreetly not to go too far, Nelson would need support after hearing what she had to say.

-"So"- Vicky said while changing into her usual jeans and t-shirt –"what do you got?"-

-"It's a really long story, to make it short it seems that Frank was carrying a lot of money when he arrived in Toronto"-

-"Sounds like a motive, why was he coming back here? "- Vicky said sounding as detached as she could

-"I spoke with a friend of his, apparently when he left the city he wandered around until he settled down in Ontario, he and a friend set up a restaurant by a lake and made a decent amount of money. Ten years ago he chose to come back."-

-"Why?"- Vicky croaked fearing the answer

Kate sighed; there was no easy way to say this

-"I contacted his friend… he said Frank told him he was coming back to his family"-

Vicky paced around the room trying to calm herself. After all those years he was coming back only to get killed, she resolved to control her emotions, and she wouldn't break down not in front of Kate of all people!

-"What was he going to tell us when he came? Sorry I went out to buy cigarettes and got lost in the way?"- she waved her hands and asked no one in particular –"I mean, if he cared enough to come back why the hell did he leave in the first place?"-

To her misfortune Kate knew the answer. The truth was bad but Nelson deserved to know so she took a deep breath and gather all the courage she could in order to tell her

-"I think I know why, when was the last time you saw him?"-

When she saw Kate's expression she realized it was going from bad to worse, so she sat into a nearby chair and told her

-"I was six years old, I was playing with some kids from the neighborhood and my Frisbee got stuck into the branch of a tree. No one wanted to take it down so I climbed up to get it, I fell pretty hard, by the time I woke up and came home from the hospital he was gone"-

With a somber expression on her face Kate handled Vicky her father's file –"Check the part where it describes his blood type"-

When Vicky saw it all the pieces clicked together and a wave of nausea threatened to rid her of all the meals she had since last week. Two words destroyed her world, AB positive.

-"I'm O negative, my mom is A positive. My mom probably has the O and negative genes on her but they are recessive so she doesn't show them, but in order for me to have that blood type my dad would have to be O negative as well. Frank is not my father; someone in the hospital must have tipped him off. I don't remember much but I think I needed a blood transfusion back then." -By the end of the sentence Vicky's face was pale and expressionless –Anything else? - She barked at Kate

-"His friend is coming to Toronto; he said he wants to help, I'll take his statement tomorrow night, I'll keep you posted."-

-"Thanks Kate"-

-"No problem, sorry for all this mess it must be hard"-

-"Yeah it is, close the door on your way out"-

When Kate left Corinne entered, shyly she gave her the coffee and asked her if there was anything she could do

-"Yeah, go to my office and clear my schedule for the next week. I gotta stay with my mom for a while; there are a few things we have to discuss"-

Corinne nodded; it wouldn't be so easy to cancel all her appointments. Her office had been crowded with clients lately, so much that the assistant decided to up the feed to seven hundred a day (many clients didn't pay her anyway). Vicky found it ironic; it took an evil demon trying to take over the city in order for her to have thriving business.

………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Sei-lin stood in the center of the main hall of the mansion, Norieth faced her with a worried expression.

-"What you are planning to do is suicidal; there is no need for any of this. I agree that Arlon was a great loss but he almost succeeded the next time we might be able to retrieve the stone"-

-"No, no more unnecessary killings Norieth, time is running out we can't afford more loses."-

-"It is too dangerous your highness, if the mission fails both you and your sister will die and your father will…"-

-"Send another of his children to replace us. I'm not naïve, just because I'm his daughter doesn't mean I'm less expendable than the rest of his soldiers"- it wasn't common for her to interrupt someone much less speak with such bitterness.

-"You are very wrong my princess, our lord cares for both of you"- Norieth answered solemnly

-"Of course he does, he needs us to do our part in the upcoming war otherwise he will be forced to fight and according to the prophecies he'll die in battle. He cares for us because we are the only ones standing between him and his doom, but don't think that he loves anyone but himself."- With that turned round and headed towards her room –"I need to make some preparations, we are leaving at sunset."-


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter five

Vicky was preparing her bags when Corinne called her from the office; she told her there was a client waiting for her.

-"I told you to clear my schedule; I'm driving to my mom's place tomorrow morning."- Vicky whined.

-"I'm here with a man, his name is Ludican. He says he works for a very powerful woman and that her sister is in danger."- Corinne's voice showed apprehension and excitement. –"He says she's very interested in hiring you and she's paying in advance"-

-"Sounds great but I'm kinda busy right now"-

-"He doesn't seem the type that takes no for an answer"- there was a tinge of fear in her assistant's voice –"Vicky, he brought ten thousand dollars and dropped them on your desk!"-

-"is he still there?"- The p.i. was getting worried that amount of money could only mean trouble; if Corinne was alone with him she could be in danger

-"He's not leaving until he speaks to you in person"-

-"tell him I'm coming, don't do anything until I get there"-

Corinne offered coffee to the stranger who kindly refused. Ludican was a very tall man with dark skin, jet black hair and deep brown eyes. His smile exuded a mysterious charm that drew her to him, at the same time there was an aura of danger surrounding his Adonis type body. She hadn't found such a dark appeal since Henry and the mixture of fear and arousal got her pacing nervously around the office, it had only been minutes since she called Vicky but it felt like hours.

-"the fact that I won't give up until miss Nelson agrees to help my employer does not mean I would use violence to achieve that. You have no reason to be afraid of me I would never hurt an innocent young lady like yourself"- in addition to his sexy half smile his velvet voice seemed to run right through her like a warm wave, her knees felt weak, her pupils dilated and it took all of her self control not to jump at him in that very instant.

There was something about him that reminded him of wild beasts, she could swear he was nothing more than an animal in human disguise. Not even that delicious Henry could match the primal beauty of this stranger, she prayed to god he wouldn't smile at her again or she would do a very stupid thing she'll regret afterwards.

Her prayers were answered when an agitated Vicky bursted into her office, composing herself as much as she could, she stood between the building size man and Corinne.

-"Good evening I'm Victoria Nelson"- She shook his hand and spoke with as much bravado as possible considering how tall and muscular her client was.

-"Hello my name is Ludican, I'm afraid I have no time to waste. My leader's sister is in danger, and evil demon is targeting her, in order to keep her safe we need to transport her to her home, but the only way to do so is by using a crystal to perform the ritual and open the gate."-

Vicky sighed, you have been in the supernatural business way too long when a speech like that doesn't cause you disbelief of surprise.

-"Okay, so what do you want me to do? Find it? Cause that could take some time"-

-"We know it is in an evil witches' house, I need your experience in this we are _foreigners _**. **I'm not a stranger in magical battles but you are more accustomed to this world your help would be greatly compensated, the ten thousand dollars I left on your desk are only an advance."- As he spoke he led Vicky to his car, a 1970's well maintained black Cadillac. Vicky didn't trust the guy but she had no choice to go with him, if he was telling the truth then a girl would be saved from danger and if it was just a scheme to perform some type of black magic she would be there to stop them.

The only thing that truly worried her was the fact that Corinne insisted to go with them. Ever since both Mike and Henry left her alone and broken hearted her assistant became overprotective and a little clingy. Part of her was grateful that someone was there, she didn't feel as lonely as she would without her but now she regretted letting that girl act like she could spare her from harm. Vicky was heading towards danger and instead of leaving her in her office where she belonged she obliged to take her with them. Vicky promised herself that if they made it out of this mess alive she would fire Corinne and take her out of town, it would tore her from inside, more than she already was but complete loneliness was better than guilt if something happened to her.

Ludican stopped the car a few minutes before they arrived to the house; he said he had to pick up the rest of the team. A black limousine arrived a few minutes later with five persons inside, four men and a woman. They all left the limo and entered the Cadillac; the four young men were all dressed like they came out of a "lord of the rings" movie, with intricate amours made in what seemed like polished silver. Vicky bit her lower lip so she wouldn't laugh at them when they introduced themselves they called her milady and bowed deeply. The woman was a tall beautiful Chinese dressed in an impeccable white suit and wore dark glasses, something quite useless since it was the middle of the night, she shook her hand politely and told Vicky she was going to help in the rescue of the stone so she could put her sister out of danger, something in her gentle demeanor told her she was one of the good guys.

-"so, what's the plan?"- Vicky asked the passengers of the crowded car

From the passenger's seat Sei-lin answered –"Ludican will deal with the witch, you and me will fetch the stone and Gabriel, Nathaniel, Ariel and Muriel will guard us, they'll be the last stand in case Ludican is defeated."-

-"What about me?"- Corinne asked

-"You'll stay in the car and if we don't come back in fifteen minutes call for back up"- Vicky answered in a no nonsense tone.

-"Right I'll just tell the police an evil which is fighting a few guys with armors and leotards, I'm coming"-

-"No you're not"- Vicky said

-"Yes I am"-

For the rest of the trip they argued like a couple of kids, the soldiers kept a neutral face out of respect, Ludican laughed and Sei-lin failed to hide the smile that crept to her lips, when they arrived Ludican assured Vicky that Corinne would be safe if she came with them, they'll guard her well.

When they arrived to the witches' house they didn't waste any time by knocking, they knew she was expecting them. They bursted through the opened door and were greeted by a wall of fire that appeared from nowhere, Sei-lin went through it as it was just an illusion, she said some words in an arcane language that Corinne had never heard of and soon the wall disappeared.

The witch descended the stairs that led to the main hall laughing evilly

-"And who is this? A little sorceress? You are very naïve if you think a few spells can defeat me"- She threw a ball of pure energy at the group but Sei-lin stood right in the way of it and absorbed the full impact, a blinding light surrounded her and when it fainted, she stood there calmly as if nothing had happened.

-"That's impossible! No one can face that spell and survive."- The witch was so shocked she didn't see Ludican crawling behind her, in one swift motion he lunged at her, she opened her mouth and black clouds came from it, in its dust a large monster shaped like a reptile version of a griffin was formed and it jumped on top of Ludican

In the meantime the rest of the group searched the house for the stone

-"It would be helpful if we knew how the hell does that thing look like"- Vicky said exasperated.

-"It's a diamond the size of a fist that changes color constantly"- Sei-lin answered

-"Like this? It was near a very cool spell book"- Corinne said handling her the stone

-"Yes!"- The Chinese woman answered –"let's get Ludican so we can go"-

They heard a shriek from the main hall and rushed there to find the monster dead, its head was ripped from the body and the skin of it was covered in gashes and blood. The witch was crawling to a corner of the room, a black wolf the size of a horse was growling and walking towards her menacingly, his huge fangs contrasted the deep black of its fur and the maniac expression on its face was enough to paralyze both the witch and the group that just arrived there, the soldiers blanched, Vicky fought the urge to faint but Corinne couldn't so her boss grabbed her before the girl fell to the ground. Sei-lin stood coldly and spoke to the beast.

-"We have the stone Ludican, stop wasting everyone's time and finish this we need to perform the ritual"-

The beast nodded and in seconds it took the witch by the neck and shook it's head making his victim wave like a rag doll, a violent shake later her head was detached from the body and in one big chew the wolf ate a large chunk of her face. As soon as he was done he turned back into the tall attractive men Vicky knew. She ran to a corner to get rid of her lunch, when she came back Ludican was holding Corinne in his arms.

-"Let her go you creep!"- Vicky yelled at him, an explosion of light startled her from behind and she saw a portal of pure white energy was open in mid air, sei-lin was kneeling on the ground chanting words in that weird language again, and then she stood and told Vicky solemnly

-"The portal is now open, it is time to go home"- She said as she removed her dark glasses revealing her light blue eyes, the same shade as Vicky's.

-"What about your sister?"-The p.i.'s voice shook

-"I'm sorry mei-mei we have no time to explain"- The woman answered as she placed her open palm below her lips and blew a fine powder on the other woman's face. Muriel managed to catch Vicky before she fell asleep to the ground, he lifted her and followed his leader through the portal, his fellow soldiers went right behind him and Ludican was the last one to cross with Corinne hanging limply in his arms.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter six

Henry drove nervously through the cold streets of Toronto, after six months of trying in vain to forget Vicky he resigned to his life in Vancouver and decided to come back. Of course that wouldn't be so easy; there were very strict rules when it came to organize vampire's territories. If Henry wanted his old domains back he had to negotiate with the current owner, in the rare case he or she didn't try to kill him and actually agreed to leave the city, Henry would have to not only find an new territory for the owner but he would also have to compensate him or her financially, in order to pay for his debt he would have to work hard for the next twenty years.

It didn't matter anyway; one thing he had learned in this past months is that he couldn't live without Vicky. Part of him was angry at himself for letting a woman reject him and still come back for more, hovering around her like a stray dog. Still there was nothing he could do, she haunted his thoughts, the memory of her scent distracted him during his hunt for prays, making it hard to feed, even the wind turned against him for he could swear it whistled in her voice. He gave up on his pride and hoped that someday she would realize they were meant for each other.

He drove to her office as soon as he arrived in the city, but when he opened the door he didn't see the woman he loved, instead he was greeted with nothing. The place was empty; there was no desk or any furniture, no trace of Vicky whatsoever, even her scent had faded away witch meant she hadn't stepped into that room in a long time.

Many possible scenarios ran through his head, in the best case she just moved out, Vicky had complained about her landlord on numerous occasions. On the worst case… he didn't dare to think what could happen if she tried to fight Astaroth on her own or any other demon that she usually encountered.

He called Corinne but her cell phone was out of order just like her boss's so he turned to the only person that might know about them.

The police headquarters buzzed with activity, so much that no one noticed the agile vampire as he headed for Celucci's office. He found an unrecognizable man, the sleepless nights, long working hours and stressful lifestyle left their mark on the detective's face, as mike rose his head from the desk he had been sleeping on Henry could see that at least his eyes kept their strength and energy.

-"I knew you'll show up eventually"- he said with a rough voice.

-"Nice to see you too detective"- Henry answered with a smirk.

Mike couldn't help smiling, for a moment it was like before, when the supernatural craziness of the city was still manageable and he could hang out with Vicky, even if that meant he had to be pestered by fang boy

-"Let's cut to the chase shall we?"- He said defeated while handling Henry a case file, Frank nelson's.

-"Vicky's father died! Is she investigating it?"-

Mike shrugged –"He wasn't her biological father that was why he left. Now that I think about it he didn't raise her either so he's just an acquaintance to her."-

-"So where is she?"- Concern showed in his voice.

-"Beats me, according to her mom she's with her real father"-

-"Didn't she tell you were you could find her?"- The vampire said coquing his head, he almost looked like a child.

-"Nope, I gotta tell you it was actually weird…"- and that's when mike explained Henry what had happened seven months ago when he went to Vicky's office.

Flashback

Mike stood in front of the door at Vicky's office he hadn't decided if he wanted to ask her for help, he knew it would end up badly for both. But there were at least three guys murdered like some rare beast had used them as a chew toy, and they all looked like actors from a bad fantasy movie, if anyone had experience with that sort of case it was her. He sighed and turned to leave, he would have to handle this on his own when he heard a woman's sobs behind the door he didn't dare to open, and he bursted inside fearing Vicky would be in danger.

Instead he saw Elizabeth Gray, Vicky's mother. She was cleaning up her daughter's office, all her belongings placed carefully on cardboard boxes.

-"Mike!"- She said wiping her tears –"How are you? I haven't seen you in years"-

-"Hi Liz"- He answered awkwardly –"What is this all about?"- He said waving his arms

-"I'm picking up her things, I'll put them around my house until she comes back"- and then she fell to her knees and cried hysterically.

Mike had no idea of what to do; Elizabeth had always been strong, seeing her break down like that was frightening. The only thing he could think of was to hold her softly and wait. A short time later she composed herself and the detective took the opportunity to ask questions

-"Liz what happened?"-

-"Vicky's dad came for her and just… took her away!"- She made an effort not to cry again.

-"But Frank is dead didn't she tell you?"-

-"It wasn't Frank, I'm talking of her biological father, he has been threatening to take her from me since she was a baby. When she was four years old he kidnapped her but I found him and snatched her of his arms before he could…, well before it was too late. Now he just took her and she's gone, I don't know if I'll ever see her again."-

-"Why? Who is he?"-

-"I'm not sure; I met him when Frank and I went on vacation in Maine. He was tired so he stayed in the hotel, I went to the beach and walked for hours through the shore until it became dark and I got lost and there I found him, a stranger so handsome I almost melted at the sight of him, his eyes were of a clear greenish blue and his voice was mesmerizing. I loved my husband and until this day I don't know what came over me but we ended up together, by the time I woke up it was morning and he was gone. I didn't hear from him until Vicky was born."-

-"He wanted her? If that's the case why didn't he just asked for custody and how did he know she was his and not frank's?"-

-"he didn't wanted to share her custody; he wanted her all for himself. He knew she was his because she had his eyes, it's the only thing he ever gave her, that and this"- she said handling him a silver necklace, the pendant on it had a strange shape, like a tree inside of a sun and a weird inscription behind it. –"That's why I know he has her, she was supposed to come to my house last week but when I opened the door that morning I found the same necklace, but this one was made in gold with a note that said he would take care of her from now on."-

Liz wasn't the kind of woman who would exaggerate things much less inventing stories, if she was right Vicky could be in trouble.

-"Do you have any idea where they could be? Do you think he would hurt her?"-

-"No I don't know, but I'm pretty sure he wouldn't cause her any harm he's convinced she has a great destiny to fulfil"-

-"That doesn't sound good"-

-"No, it doesn't. That's why I never wanted him to have her"-

-"I'll tell you what Liz, I'll investigate and when I find her I'll make sure she calls you"-

Elizabeth nodded sadly, she didn't have much hope.

End flashback

-"And did you find anything?"- Henry asked puzzled

-"Nothing, there is no record of her in any airport, bus station or camera surveillance on borders. What really scares me is that when I helped Liz to pack Vicky's stuff I found her passport and other important documentation, when she left she didn't take anything with her, except Corinne."-

-"So she's missing too"- Henry was disappointed he hoped the young assistant could help him

-"Yeah, her family hasn't talked to her since she left college so they didn't report her missing"-

Henry sighed, he was worried, clueless of his beloved's whereabouts and on top of that he was hungry as hell.

-"You know I think Elizabeth knew more about Vicky's dad than she told me, maybe someone could, I don't know, hypnotize her"-

-"Not a bad idea detective, I'll keep you posted"-

-"By the way fang boy, Liz is a good woman if you bite her I'll kick your ass, immortal or not."-

Henry's only response was to bow and salute him dramatically with a coy smile. He would speak to Vicky's mom but first he had to eat.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter seven

Vicky stood defiantly on the sandy beach near an emerald green ocean; five male warriors surrounded her ready to attack. Two of the contenders charged directly at her from opposite sides, she grabbed both by their collars and before they could do anything she gave a fast 360 degrees turn forcing them to bump with each other head first. Learning the lesson, the remaining men chose to attack one by one; they knew that if they tried to attack at the same time she could use the confusion on her advantage.

The strongest one tried to stab her with his sword but she dodged in the nick of time she trapped the sword between her side and her arm, her opponent didn't have time to let go of the weapon so she simply punched him hard on the face with her free hand.

Before the third warrior fell to the ground another one circled his arms around her neck trying to choke her, she placed her hips near his and distributed her weight to gain enough leverage then she bent over and pivoted slightly, when he fell to the floor she stomped him in the stomach. Knowing the remaining one would be charging at her she kicked backwards, kitting him on the chest, he was still standing so she turned and threw him a flying kick that landed hard on the head.

In less than ten minutes she was standing calmly in the middle of a circle made of unconscious men, Sei-lin appeared from the shadows of the forest that surrounded the beach.

-"You didn't have to hurt them Vicky, your fighting skills are wonderful but if you don't learn to control your strength you'll get in trouble"-

-"I held back, trust me. Besides, you could take the opportunity to teach me how to do that healing spell"-

-"Even the most primitive creature can destroy and damage, but it takes true power to heal and rebuild what's broken"-

Sei-lin heard the men moaning, some of them begun to rise to their feet. She sighed; Vicky did held back otherwise the poor warriors would have been dead or comatose.

Larineph was the leader of the small group of soldiers and the first one to stand up; he used his blunt wooden sword as an improvised cane and walked towards both sisters.

-"We are fine your highness, the spell won't be necessary."-

-"Aw come on, it's the least I can do besides I wanna learn how to do that."- Vicky chuckled.-"By the way I have a little favour to ask you, Corinne just joined the army, I've done everything I could to talk her out of it but she is a pigheaded…"-

Sei-lin tried not to laugh at the comment, Vicky was obviously a mayor influence on the girl.

-"As I was saying"- Vicky continued eyeing her older sister –"I need you to persuade her to drop the army, I don't know make her clean the latrines with a toothbrush or something, be creative, but please get her out of there."-

-"Why?"- Sei-Lin asked, she had seen the girl training and believed she had potential -"She is capable and brave you should be proud that she wants to fight for our cause"-

-"She's not in it for the cause, she just has the hot's for Ludican who oh so happens to be the main general and instructor. I don't want her to face an army of evil because of a case of the horneys. I'll find a way to get her laid with him if that's what she wants but I won't let her do something that stupid as getting into a battlefield"-

Vicky had a lot to learn about proper speech and protocol, but a warrior should join the army to fight evil, not as a dating service. Larineph nodded and agreed to make things difficult for the girl without hurting her in the slightest.

-"very well Vicky, I'll teach you to do the spell. First of all I need you to focus on everything around you and try to open your mind's eye"- Sei-lin said softly

The former p.i. did as told but her expression went from neutral and peaceful to a delicate frown

-"What is it?"- The elder sister asked in concern –"What do you see?"-

Vicky's eyes snapped open and said gravely –"Someone is watching us"-

Dr. Sagara woke up abruptly from her self induced trance, trying to absorb the information she had just received from her vision. Six months ago detective Mike Cellucci came to her with two strange necklaces with unknown symbols, one gold the other one silver he said Vicky had gone missing, probably take away by her biologic father and those were the only tangible clues of her whereabouts.

She had never seen the symbols on the pendants and no matter how hard she looked, no ancient book held any information, she couldn't even determine their origin.

At first she was mad with Nelson for how she treated Henry and was sure she didn't needed to be found. But the strange symbols haunted her like an annoying puzzle she couldn't put together, before she knew it she was obsessed with them.

To make things worse, Henry came back looking for her and saw the despair in his eyes, she knew he needed to find Vicky, even if she rejected him he had to know she was alright.

Tired of looking answers on those damn symbols Dr. Sagara got herself on a powerful, dangerous trance that would allow her to see Nelson wherever she was. She analyzed the landscape; she was on a beach with white sand and a deep green ocean. Judging by her clothes, knee length pants and a long white blouse, the weather was warm but not too hot. The forest was surrounded by blooming trees with rare flowers, there was something else, and the sky was of a strange blue with hints of purple and no man made construction around.

Before the details of her vision faded she called Henry:

-"Hello?"-

-"Henry, I did the spell I told you about. I saw Vicky and she was fine. She's near the beach surrounded by a forest, the place is in full spring and it has template temperatures so I think it's on the tropic of Capricorn, she's training and learning martial arts."-

-"I warned you about that kind of spells, are you alright?"-

-"Yes Henry, take care please"-

-"I will but promise me you'll do the same"-

-"I will"- Sagara said tiredly and hung up, for every spell there was a price and now she was paying for it.

……………………………………………………….

It was another cold night in Scarborough, Elizabeth Nelson came outside the seven eleven with a large bag of groceries, her car was parked far from the entrance and she was in a hurry to go back home, lately the nights came earlier every day, and it was then when the formerly quiet town became no man's land. Luckily a young handsome stranger came to her aid lifting the heavy bad for her and carrying it without effort, Elizabeth realized then that she was getting old. She saw the young man and recognized him, he was a newcomer in town but his craving for privacy and reserved personality only called more the attention of the always nosy neighbours.

-"Let me help you"- He said while placing the large bag on the trunk of her car, even the most mundane of his movements was graceful

-"Thank you, mister…"-

-"I'm sorry how rude of my part"- The man responded politely while shacking her hand –"My name is Henry Fitzroy; I'm new in this town."-


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter eight

The suburbs were a logistic nightmare for vampires, small towns were every one knew each other and were all too aware of their neighbour's lives. All the self righteous gossip loving habitants of Scarborough were talking about Henry Fitzroy and if he didn't play his cards right it wouldn't be long until stakes and torches were posted outside his manor.

But inside that nightmare there was the only clue of Vicky's whereabouts, Elizabeth was the only one that might have an idea of were Vicky was, Mike told Henry he believed that she hadn't been completely honest about what she knew. The problem was that Vicky's ability to resist vampire hypnosis could be hereditary, so in order to get the answers he needed he would have to earn her trust, if he tried to hypnotize her and failed he could scare her and that could end in disaster.

Months went by and eventually he befriended Elisabeth, she was a strong woman who aged gracefully in spite of the fact that she worked hard all her life and never took good care of herself. She was a very reserved person, not even Henry's charm or ability of persuasion could get any information about Vicky's biological father, so when one day she told him to come by at 2 am to discuss a private business the last thing he expected was the speech she gave him

-"I know who and what you are Henry, I've known for a while, but only recently I realized you had good intentions. I also know you are somehow involved with my daughter and you want to know where she is, am I wrong?"- She said calmly as if she were talking about the weather

-"No, you seem to have a clearer picture than me, how did you know? - He had a hard time trying to wipe the expression of astonishment from his face.

-"It's a gift; Vicky's father gave it to me. I'm not actually a psychic I just sense things, sometimes it's like the information simply got inside my head without any reason in particular. By example right now, every time I mention her name your aura changes. You love her, but of course you don't have to be an oracle to see that."-

-"So you know were she is?"- He didn't even tried to hide his anxiety

-"Yes and no. I Know were she is but even if I knew how to get there I don't know if I were able to."-

-"What do you mean?"-

-"She's in a different plane of existence, another dimension so to speak. This must be hard to believe, even for you, but Vicky was taken to Avalon."-

A thousand questions passed through the vampire's head, Elizabeth watched him tenderly, he looked lost and so young.

-"Who is he?"-

-"Over the ages he had many names, some cultures worshiped him like a god while some others called him fae. Now he calls himself Oberon but many centuries ago he was called Odin. This book will give you the answers you need". - She handed him a small colourful book she took from a nearby desk.

-"This is a children's book!"- He said in disbelief

-"And you judge it by its cover? It's the Nordic legend of the end of the world. It says that when the mischievous Loki turned officially evil Odin chained him and forced him to live in the underworld, the legend says that one day he will escape from his prison and would raise an evil army. Odin will have to face him in battle and when he does, the war will be so violent and brutal the world will be destroyed. I think he wants her to be part of his army to fight Loki"-

Some pieces of the puzzle fell inside Henry's head, Astaroth was breaking loose, and maybe like Odin he had also changed his name. And it probably wasn't a coincidence that Vicky was the only one who could face the demon's power like she had done in the past and not get corrupted.

-"I need you to help her Henry,"- She said waking him from his musings –"She might die in that war, I don't think Vicky should pay for her father's mistakes."-

-"But how am I suppose to help her if I don't now where she is?"-

-"The war will be here on earth, probably right were everything started."-

-"Toronto"- Henry stated

-"Yes, you don't have to worry about finding her when the time comes and that will be soon, she'll return and you must be ready to fight."-

…………………………………………………………………………………….

December came again and with it the snow once again covered the streets of Toronto, there was something different in the air this particular winter, the last two years ever since Astaroth tried to cross over had been unnaturally cold. The last two winters had been so vicious that there were rare the days without a snow storm or haze and the summers were short, but they were marked by heat waves so cruel many people (ancient citizens mostly) died of dehydration. The crops in the last two years were damaged by this crazy weather and to make things worse the criminality rate had spiked ever since.

Detective mike Celucci walked lazily through the streets he though he knew, but lately were plagued with dangers he no longer recognized, still somehow he was in a good mood. The snow no longer stormed crashing over the pavement; instead it fell graciously over the peaceful landscape, reflecting some stray sunbeams as tiny diamonds. The air was crisp and a soft breeze blew over his face. He saw the sky above him and admired the sun as it tore its way from the snow making clouds and a vibrant sunrise painted the entire city in pink, orange and golden. He had never been a religious man, not even after all he saw the last few years. But in that beautiful scene that was displayed on the sky he saw a message from above, telling him and everyone who saw it that the end of evil was coming.

Kate was waiting for him at their favourite diner, they had been in a serious relationship over the last few years, they started going out when Frank Nelson's case got to dead end, they spent a lot of time together trying to find the killer and in the meantime, they fell in love. In spite of the fact that they never solved it, they never gave up; even now they searched for clues that could bring some closure.

She waved at him from their favourite table in the corner and greeted him with a smile, even when she looked tired and her eyes watered.

-"Hi Kate, you okay? You look terrible"- he said worried, it's not like things weren't going well between them, but they weren't happy they hadn't been for a long time.

-"I feel terrible, I'm going to do something I hate but I have to"-

-"What are you talking about?"-

-"I'm leaving you Mike; I'm leaving the city as well. I met someone else"-

-"What? Who?"- He hadn't expected her to blurt out something like that

-"His name is Jeremy, we never… you know, did anything, I didn't wanted to cheat you but we are leaving this town together"-

-"I don't understand Kate, why?"- His lost puppy eyes almost make her change her mind.

-"Because I can't handle all this darkness anymore Mike, and you are part of it. I love you more than I will ever love him, but he'll take me away from this. I'm tired of having nightmares all the time, of seeing you go to work and not knowing if you'll make it by the end of the day or if I will. I'm tired of closing cases under the premise of inexplicable violence and all this gore I see from the moment I wake up to the time I go to sleep. I had enough!"- She was almost yelling at the end, her breathing was shallow and there was a hint of madness in her eyes, the poor woman was on the verge of an emotional breakdown.

It took several minutes for him to absorb the information she just threw at her, but after he did he understood, there was too much darkness around for her to handle.

-"Where are you gonna go?"- He asked her in a childish voice

-"Miami, he has an uncle over there, if the immigration papers go well I could even work for the MPD, I'm tired of this cold winters, I could use some tropical heat. You know, if for one second I knew you would come with me we could go together, but that's not going to happen am I wrong?"- Her eyes pleaded as she looked into his for any sign of hope.

-"I'm staying Kate, but I don't blame you for leaving. I'm happy for you and I wish you the best"- With those words he stormed out of the diner, he had been honest, he wanted her to be happy and he knew that wouldn't happen if she stayed with him. It was funny, two years ago everyone told him to stay away from Vicky for she was dragging him into darkness and professional ruin, but now she was gone and it was him who was doing it to Kate. At least she was smart enough to walk away before she too was swallowed by the evil that loomed in every corner of his daily life. _"I'm happy for you Kate, good luck with that Jeremy guy" _ he though as he walked the streets once again, the sun now high on the horizon.

………………………………………………………………………………………….

Corinne was preparing her armour while her fiancé sharpened his broadsword, she casted a glance towards Ludican's wide and muscular frame, if the meeting they had to attend wasn't so important she would throw herself at him that precise moment. It was hard to believe that she was now a full grown warrior, Vicky had tried everything to change her mind but that only made her more determined. In the end Sei-Lin convinced he boss to let her be, the obstacles her friend posted in Corinne's path only made her stronger and now she was the captain of a small unit. It was almost ironic; Corinne became a warrior and Vicky a princess. That of course didn't mean her boss couldn't fight. Vicky's skill combined with her new powers made her almost invincible, she could defeat and ordinary army in open combat without breaking a sweat, unfortunately there was nothing ordinary about what they fought.

The council would join in a few moments to determine a course of action, she wasn't allowed to give an opinion, her duty was to hear the directions they gave her and get everything ready, soon she would be back to earth.

The castle were the race called fae lived was a magnificent structure made of blue marble and rare crystal, deep below it's ornate surface a large basement was built to use as a shelter and to conduct matters of state without the risk of being heard of by possible spies. The subterranean room was plain and dark, in the middle of it there was a round table, in it sat king Oberon with his wife Titania, by his side there were his two daughters Sei-lin and Victoria and by Titania's side sat her two sons Luciano and Sadgit, on the other side of the table sat Tyr, a powerful fae expert in the art of war and Maeve, a pillar of wisdom. Only faes or fairies could sit on the onyx made table, human members of the army stood surrounding their leaders. Corinne almost doesn't recognize Vicky, she was wearing a medieval style burgundy dress with ornate gold patterns and her long blonde hair fell on her pale shoulders, she looked like a goddess.

Oberon spoke first:

-"As you all know Loki joined the satanic forces of the underworld and when he crosses over he will try to take over the mortal world. In order to stop him we will face him in battle and destroy the earth in the process, and in that war, according to the prophesy we, myself included will die. But the prophesy is also clear, it says when he crosses over… and he hasn't achieved that yet, only part of him managed to reach the mortal world, my daughter"- He said pointing proudly at Vicky –"Was supposed to be the link for him to pass but she not only refused him, I also removed the curse that liked her to him"-

-"Still"- Tyr continued –"He has achieved great power in his pass through the earth soon he will be able to cross without the human link"-

-"Until then"- Oberon continued with confidence –"He is vulnerable, if we defeat him before he is completely free the prophesy won't have to be fulfilled, the world won't be destroyed"-

-"And you won't have to die right daddy?"- Vicky pronounced the last word with scorn; her father had proved to be a selfish jerk who believed that immortality made him a god and the friggin centre of the universe. –"Still it seems to be our only choice right?"-

Mave told her patiently –"The only way to defeat him is by using all our powers at once if we try something now and fail we won't be strong enough to defeat him the second time around"-

-"But the world will be destroyed anyways so what's the difference?"- Vicky said puzzled

Titania answered her without hiding her anger, her husband was sending that poor girl too a dangerous mission without explaining her all the facts –"Dear, the world will be destroyed eventually, the king's plan if successful can only delay its demise for a few ages. This world has to end one day, as it has done many times in the past so it can be reborn again, if Astaroth takes over there will be no rebirth, only an endless misery"-

-"Your queen has a point, we can't jeopardize the final battle the risk is too high"- Tyr stated

-"I appreciate your advice, but my decision is made, my daughters and a small part of the army will leave tomorrow to the mortal world and they'll stop Astaroth before he crosses over"-

-"I respect your decision milord, but we will not offer any assistance for I disagree with your course of action"- Tyr and Maeve said at once a second later they disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving the royal family at the table.

-"Corinne you heard it let's get everything ready"- Vicky said rising to her feet.

-"Vicky are you sure you wanna do this?"-

-"If I don't millions of people will get killed, if all I can do for humanity is buy them a few more centuries then it's worth taking the risk, even if that means mister giant ego"- Vicky said pointing at Oberon –"Gets away with what he wants"-

…………………………………………………………………………………………….

Mike got out of his car while Dave, his new partner did the same. There was a compliant about a group of weird people dressed in white who got inside an abandoned building and started chanting. Those religious freaks became common lately, most of them weren't dangerous, but some of they had actually performed human sacrifices. As they neared the building a blinding light emerged from its ceiling, enveloping the entire block in vibrant lights and colours.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter nine

-"What the fuck is that?"- Dave said nearing the Light source

-"I'll go inside, you call for backup"- Mike said storming inside the building, he knew magic would be hard to explain to his partner.

Inside there was a croud much larger than he had expected, at least a hundred people, but they didn't look like the typical esoteric Goths he had grown accustomed to. All of them were dressed in white; they had no make up whatsoever and looked like clean, ordinary citizens. From small children to elder couples, all of them gazed at the blinding light in the centre of it.

Mike felt stupid when he tried to act like a cop in front of such a discovery, yet he waved his badge at the crowd

-"Police! Stay were you are"-

-"Don't be afraid, we mean no harm"- A short cubby woman in her forties appeared from behind him and said gently, her voice was sweet and her face seemed to radiate kindness. She placed a hand on his cheek, she reminded him of his mother. –"Come, let me show you"-

The crowd parted allowing him to get closer to the source of light, it was so powerful the he felt his skin burn a little, like he were exposed to the sun in the middle of the summer. A golden energy radiated from it enveloping him and he felt the same way he did when he saw that beautiful sunrise a few days ago, two powerful emotions just bursted it's way into his chest: hope and relief. Tiny shreds of golden light flickered across the room emanating from the small sun that shone in front of him, the perfect circle then transformed into an oval and when the light turned silver he saw figures forming in the middle of it, figures that turned humanoid and later materialized into persons that crossed the silver gate, the light deemed so he could see who came out of the portal.

First it was an incredibly tall muscular man with long ebony hair; he was followed by several young athletic men dressed in medieval style armours that reminded him of the unsolved cases he had two ears ago. Between the young men was a girl with a feminine version of the guys attire, she was petite but her stance was of a warrior. Squinting his eyes Mike managed to get a closer look at the girl's face and that's when he was sure he had lost his mind.

–"Corinne? No way!"- He said in disbelief

The young woman simply bowed her head in recognition. The group of soldiers saluted the crowd in respect and formed in a semi circle around the portal. In response every single person became quiet and bowed, kneeling until their foreheads touched the ground, with the exception of Mike who stood frozen until the woman that had led him there coaxed him gently to take that same position. He was about to kneel when he got awestruck by the vision in front of him, a beautiful Chinese woman with shiny black long hair emerged from the portal wearing a silk white dress, it looked like a simpler version of a traditional Chinese costume. She saw him with blue eyes that took his breath away, he had seen those eyes before, and he could recognize them anywhere. He got lost in a jumble of thoughts and memories brought by those blue eyes when a dry familiar voice brought him to realty

-"Damn, talk about a welcome party! What the hell are you people doing on the ground?"- leave it to Vicky to ruin the ceremonial mood

-"Mei mei, what did I tell you about customary respect?"-

-"When someone vows at you they are making a friendly statement and showing their care and admiration, not responding at that vow in a polite way would be a sign of disrespect and could be perceived as insulting"- rolling her eyes, she said the phrase her older sister had repeated her countless times until she memorized it word by word.

-"Very well"-Sei-Lin said pleased and stared at her, Vicky knew resistance was futile so she lifted a little of her burgundy velvet dress with one hand and bowed lowering her chin slightly and doing a plie that would make a ballerina proud. Just when she thought he shame was complete she heard a voice behind her

-"Vicky?"-

-"Mike?"-

They stared at each other for a long time, the last thing they expected to see one another. They got so lost in their shock that none of them noticed the arrival of several police cars and a scared Dave waving his badge in front of the crowd.

Mike cursed himself for not intercepting him sooner and to make things worse many other cops were arriving at the site.

Dave ran at him, believing those crazy people had captured his partner and that's when hell broke loose, the crowd dispersed and some policemen drew their guns. It was about to become a massacre if it hadn't been for Norieth, he was present into the welcome celebration and it was his task to accommodate both princesses and their army, in and histrionic performance he raised his voice and said:

-"Cut!!!, what the hell is going on? There are no cops in this scene"- he said stepping in front of the officers one of them asked for an explanation

-"we are shooting a movie, I just spent most of my budget in this scene and you ruined it!"-

-"Wait… so you are saying this is a movie and not a freaky ritual?"- Dave said laughing and pointed at mike who had a stunned expression standing in the middle of the group –"What about him, is he one of your actors?"-

-"We though he was one of our extras"- Norieth said sheepishly

-"I didn't know there was a movie being filmed here, and judging by your actors clothes and special effects it sound high budget, by the way, were are the cameras?"- One of the officers asked

Norieth pointed at the walls around them and said they were hidden so they could shoot from several angles.

-"I can't believe it, Vicky is that you? You're an actress!"- Dave said gawking at the ethereal beauty in the former member of the Toronto police –"So when is this movie coming up? I can't wait to see it"- He purred.

-" It is meant to be released abroad, it might not be shown in Canada, now if you excuse me, my lead actors are exhausted I'll take them somewhere they can rest, tomorrow we'll try to re shoot the scene"- Norieth said while rushing the newly arrivals in a small group of limousines that had just parked outside the building. The soldiers formed a protective cocoon around the princesses, taking them as far away from Mike as possible. He couldn't stand the idea of not knowing what the hell was going on, he had to speak with Vicky.

-"Why don't we have a few drinks and catch up? I'll drive you to your hotel later"- Mike sounded like a geek trying to invite a cheerleader to the prom.

To his surprise Vicky didn't give him a sarcastic remark; instead she kept quiet while her sister placed a protective hand on her shoulder and rushed inside the limo. Corinne grabbed his arm and laughed casually she said –"Why don't we have a rain check on that? Vicky had a very rough day and tomorrow will be even worse."- She dragged him to a small corner far from his colleagues and whispered –"Whatever you just saw… forget it."-

-"Like hell I will, what's wrong with Vicky she looks different"-

-"None of your business, you will never_** ever**_ see her again. If you even think about poking your nose in our activities I will kill you myself". She wasn't joking; the venom in her eyes told him so.

A disheartening thought occurred him - "Did you guys join Astaroth?"-

-"No!"- She made a face of disgust –"We are going to defeat him and if you get in the way we will loose, that's why is so important that you keep your mouth shut. You know what? I'll just brainwash you. I said too much already."- With that said she removed a small pouch from her belt, poured the blue dust it contained into her hand and blew it to his face, when his expression turned blank she instructed him.

-"You came here in the middle of a shoot from a movie, Vicky is an actress now. You realized there are no feelings whatsoever between you two, you will not try to contact her in any way, in fact you will avoid her by every mean possible. Now go to the station and mind your own business."-

Corinne was enraged at Mike and Henry as well, they had hurted Vicky's heart beyond repair. Back in Avalon he best friend had become one of the most powerful and skilled warriors ever known, she had created war strategies so innovative that had led the army into a constant evolution. Only Corinne and Sei-lin knew that this amazing fae sometimes crawled deep into the dark forest, located in a far corner of the island to cry her sorrow. They had followed her more than once and when the pity was too big to bear they offered comfort. Sei-lin tried everything, from words of wisdom to exceptional displays of magic, but they only made Vicky feel ashamed for letting her emotions make the best of her. In the end they resigned and simply kept her company during those rare moments when her heartache overpowered her spirit.

……………………………………………………………………………….

Mike woke up in his apartment feeling a little light headed. He got out of bed and opened the shades of his window and when he looked up he saw the sun shining in the middle of the sky, it was noon. Thankfully it was his day off, he tried to remember what had happened the day before and when he did a strange story formed in his head, Vicky had become and actress and was now living the good life. Did that make any sense? His first instinct was to shrug it off, if she was happy good for her, after all how could someone with her disease work as a PI? Still, the woman in his memory had little to do with the Vicky he knew. He tried to go deeper in his memories searching for details but his brain froze until he resolved to get some breakfast, or lunch given the time of day. He just didn't feel like thinking anymore.

His mind told him to get some coffee in the diner closest to his place, but his feet took him to a site he hadn't visited for almost two years. It was a Chinese food restaurant a few blocks away from where Vicky used to live. It was their place, where they had hung out closing cases and drinking beer all night, some of his best memories happened between those old tables and decaying walls. Objectively speaking it was a dump, but a dump with sentimental value.

Instinctively he went to what used to be their favourite table, near the largest window facing west, where they usually saw the sunset over the streets they though could protect. And that's were he saw her.

She had longer hair now that fell in soft curves over her shoulders and chest; it was blonder now, naturally bleached by sunlight and sea water. She had a delicate tan that made her skin look golden, contrasting with the white blouse she was wearing, the fabric a little too thin for winter.

He stayed glued to the floor, unable to move, she had literally taken his breath away and when he got it back something broke inside his mind. The spell he had been under was gone and he remembered everything, from that crazy ceremony to an angry Corinne throwing dust at his face. He resisted the urge to face Vicky right then and demand an explanation, but if they had brainwashed him before tit could easily happen again. She was focused on a blue book that rested on her lap, so he took the opportunity to leave the restaurant before she saw him; he needed help from someone who knew about magic and mind tampering. He hated to admit it but he needed Henry.

…………………………………………………………………..

Vicky had enjoyed the last few days on earth. Instead of living with Norieth's manor she rented a small apartment near where her office used to be. She had managed to live an almost normal life, no demons, magic or supernatural stuff. She could now pretend she was an average human again which was her version of a vacation. She even took a few jobs as a PI, nothing big just a few cases of adultery. It wasn't until recently that she realized how much she missed that period in her life, after leaving the police but before meeting Henry, her life might have been a little boring but at least it made sense. Still the notion of normality was of course a lie. She could pretend to be a mortal by day, but as a creature of light she had to be indoors by sunset, there was also heavy security surrounding her wherever she was. Of course her soldiers were discrete but she knew they were there. It was ironic, when she was almost blind and helpless the people she loved left her alone, now that she was an immortal with unimaginable power she had more bodyguards she could tolerate.

That particular day she lost track of her usual followers, either they hid too well or her sister summoned them. She took the opportunity to walk through the park she used to jog years ago. The trees seemed to speak to her, telling stories of pain, fear and unnecessary death but as she strolled pass them they whispered about hope. The end of this darkness was coming, nature sensed those things better than humans. She was so absorbed by the forest's secret language she didn't realize night was coming. The sunset shone with a blood red that presaged danger, she had learned to obey nature's warnings so she rushed to her home. There was a reason her race feared darkness, lacking predatory instincts faes got disoriented easily and were more vulnerable to the attacks of nightwalkers. Adrenaline rushed into her veins as she sensed someone behind her, it wasn't human for it smelled of blood and death. Her best choice was to try to escape and if that failed she would have to show that monster what she was made of and send it's stupid little ass to hell. When the night creature presented himself she felt her blood get cold on her chest, it was Henry.

-"I hope I didn't scare you."- He said with a charm smile she knew too well, then his eyes became shiny and almost vulnerable –"You are even more beautiful than I remember"-

-"Goodbye Fitzroy"- was the only thing she said, her voice colder than the snow below her feet. Then she walked right past him as if he didn't existed.

Henry expected rage and a lot of yelling not a cold shoulder, he was used to everything except being ignored, but he came prepared and knew how to make her react.

-"Are you going to walk away from me as you did with the people who love you? Your mother by example, she has been worried sick about you, she was afraid you might not see her again. I've bee talking to her a lot lately you know"-

-"You've been WHAT?!!!- Vicky growled at him wide eyed.

The vampire grinned, that's the Vicky he knew and loved. Still he felt a little fear when she approached him with a murderous look on her eyes.

-"Am I interrupting something?"- A feminine voice said from behind them, they turned to see her and gasped in horror

-"Cristina"- Henry said while instinctively placing himself between his sire and Vicky.-"What do you want in here? I warned you not to get in my territory again"- his eyes turned black and his fangs grew.

-"You are sadly mistaken, this is not your territory anymore, it is mine and you are invading it!"- She vamped as well, by the sound of her growls Henry could tell she was in full territorial mode


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter ten

Christina didn't waste any time. She lunged at Vicky knowing Henry Would be stupid enough to get in the way. When he tried to neutralize her before she could get to Vicky Christina took the opportunity to stab the "iluminacion del sol" into her former lover's chest, ever since the last encounter with the detective Christina had kept Vicky on her radar, when she heard the p.i. had mysteriously vanished she took the opportunity to visit her office. He gasped and fell to his knees, good she though; with him out of the way she had all the time in the world to have fun with that pathetic human. In a millisecond she had closed the distance between two women and circled Vicky's throat with her right hand. But she didn't see fear in her enemy's face, her heart rate was steady as always, instead her left arm went around the vampire's and before Christina could think she was flying through the air. Vicky held back, she wouldn't use her powers on her, just her fighting skills. The least dark creatures knew she wasn't human the better. Cristina tried to use her supernatural speed to go around and attack her from the back but Vicky anticipated the move easily, once her enemy was in front of her she simply placed two fingers between her collarbones, right above the sternum and with a swift motion she pushed downwards, that movement got her out of balance witch made her fall. before she hit the ground Vicky lunged at her, in a fast motion she grabbed the vampire by the hair above her forehead and with disturbing expertise she smashed the vampire's head on a nearby rock.

The powerful Christina was now unconscious, but as a vampire she could easily recover or play dead, she had to kill her fast. Henry was looking at her with wide eyes, she knew that if she killed her in front of him he would hate her, but maybe that was supposed to happen. It was for the best, if they became enemies at least things would finally be clear and simple for both of them. She was about to decapitate the vampire with a pure silver dagger she always carried with her, a gift from titania herself, but when she raised the blade Henry begged her not to. He looked at her with pleading eyes and Vicky found herself mesmerized. That second in which she doubted was all Christina needed to use her necklace, an antique iron chain with a cross in it as a leash; she wrapped it around Vicky's neck. The fae gasped as she felt all her powers disappear, she got instantly ill and it didn't took long for her to faint.

Cristina paced in the dungeon she had built under her luxurious house, she was annoyed already of Henry's pleas, he had begged for that human's life since she defeated her. She was waiting for Vicky to wake up but that seemed unlikely as the woman's physical state deteriorated. The iron chains that held her were unnecessary given her low heart rate; both vampires knew she was dying.

-"What have you done to her?"- Henry said on the verge of tears

-"Nothing you haven't seen for yourself, to be honest I have no idea of what's wrong with her"- she mused

-"This is between us, I'm the one that invaded your territory, leave her out of this." He begged in a whispered voice, he was so weak he could barely move. –"I'll give you everything you want; I'll be your slave, kill me if that pleases you but let her go"-

-"For crying out loud Henry have you lost your dignity? listen to yourself you are begging, humiliating yourself for a human. I won't let her go. in fact I will kill her and that I'll do it as a favour to you, so you can keep whatever is left of your pride. I will punish you by forcing you to see as I do it in the most painful way possible, which will be the price for invading my territory. Once she's dead and buried we will be even"-

-"no we will not!!, I won't let you get away with it, I will go after you and kill you over and over until you curse the day you were turned"- His fury was so big that in spite of the heavy shackles that bound him to the thick wall and the weakness the golden sun on his chest caused he was breaking loose, that's when he heard Vicky moan.

-"What the hell?"- She mumbled, she had never felt so weak and helpless in her whole life, the chains that bounded her wrist burned her skin causing unbearable pain

-"About time, you are lucky I was about to torture you but I'm running out of time"- Cristina feared that if she delayed the killing she would give Henry the opportunity to break loose, in spite of his current state she was wise enough not to take too much chances when it came to her childe-"So I will just feed from you until you're dry, you must be delicious if you got Henry so obsessed"- Se said with a coy smile, she heard the other vampire's grunts and by the cracking sounds she could tell he was tearing the wall around his shackles, she had to hurry

-"I warn you if you try to feed from me you'll regret it"- Vicky spat

Cristina grabbed a handful of her victim's hair and yanked it down until the back of her head almost touched her shoulder blades, she wanted to break her spine but the woman's bones were a lot harder and flexible that she thought.

-"I mean it Christina, leave now and you might survive"- Vicky's voice sounded strangled but steady. The vampire was too busy piercing her carotid artery with her fangs to notice the confident smile on her victim.

It wasn't until several gulps that she noticed the blood tasted bitter, the taste was so pungent she let go of her victim's neck and heaved. She had never tasted anything so awful, when she wiped her mouth with her hand she noticed that the blood in her lips and the one running from Vicky's neck wasn't red it was black. She tried to spit it out but some of it had reached her stomach already. Its taste turned acid and she felt a burning inside of her, when a stabbing pain tore her loins she screamed in horror and white smoke came out of her mouth. The fae's blood was poison and acid at the same time burning her from the inside out, she cried in agony as her skin turned black and her flesh dissolved, minutes later all that was left from Christina was a pale skeleton lying on a pond of a black fluid.

Henry was frozen, something in Vicky's black blood turned his sire into soup, the thousand thoughts and emotions on his head were casted aside when he heard the woman he loved gasping for air. He tore the chains that bounded him to the wall and tried to do the same with hers but his strength was dimming, he was about to loose consciousness.

"The key Henry, it's right behind you"- She told him in a whisper

Mingled between what was left of Christina's clothes he could see it also, he unlocked the "iluminacion del sol" and tore her chains to pieces. He tried to hold her in his arms but she trashed.

-"Get off me!"- She screamed while slowly rising to her feet

-"Vicky you are ill, let me help you"- Henry sensed her heartbeat was still very low but it was gaining strength.

-"I'll be fine, now get the hell out of here"- She was light headed, if she weren't careful she could faint

-"I won't leave you"-

-"You don't get it, my family, my race is gonna find me anytime now and when they do they'll kill you"-

-"Why? I am on your side"-

-"No you're not; you are a vampire, a creature of darkness, a monster! To them, hell to _**us**_ you are on the other side of this war, leaving you alive would be a liability they are not willing to take"- She said as she headed to the stairs that led out of the basement. She knew her speech was much more hurtful than she wanted. It wasn't just her heartache that made her rant, something deep inside her new nature repelled him, he smelled of blood, death and poison. Her heart still carried a torch for him but her stomach churned at his mere presence

He looked hurt, an expression she had grown accustomed to when they were still friends, a lifetime ago. But like all those times before he recovered quickly.

-"You are not getting read of me so easily, I won't let you boss me around the way you used to"- he joked and lifted her up, cradling her in his arms. He could tell by the soft way she sighed that she didn't have the strength to fight him off this time. When she called him a monster it tore him from the inside, did she actually saw him that way? She must had for he saw loathing in her eyes when she answered

-"In that case they'll kill you, and I will let them do it"-

He heard footsteps above them; a symphony of crackling metal told him sharp weapons were involved

-"They're here Henry go away!"-Vicky pleaded

-"Not until you give me answers, you'll be safe with me"-

-"Fuck! Very well you asked for it"- Vicky joined her hands and a golden ball of light emerged from them, Henry yelped as the light from that ball burned his skin; Vicky had created a miniature sun. He ran away as fast as he could from it. The ball wasn't as powerful as the sun itself or he would be dead by now, yet it followed him until he was forced to hide in a nearby closet were his sire used to keep her torture devices.

He saw a beautiful young Chinese woman surrounded by soldiers, in uniforms he hadn't seen for over three hundred years

-"Mei-mei. Ni zai nar?"-

-"Jie-jie.I'm here!"- Vicky called

-"What happened?"- Sai-lin said as she rushed to help her sister

-"I was catching up with an old friend of mine"- Vicky was almost out of breath by now

-"This is our fault we shouldn't have left her alone"- one of the soldiers lamented

-"Our manor was under attack you were needed there"- Ludican said helping Vicky to her feet but she couldn't stand anymore.

-"What are you talking about?"- Sei-lin lifted her up as if she were weightless

-"I'll explain it to you when we're safe, did your attacker saw your true nature?"-

-"Yes but that is taken care of"- Vicky lied

-"I still sense darkness"- one of the soldiers said, he allowed his instincts to lead him were Henry was hidden and opened the door of the closet dramatically, Henry's eyes were black and his fangs protruded.

The young man lifted his sword ready to cut the monster's head off but a blue ray hit him on the back freezing his movements, it took a few milliseconds for Henry to escape. He ran so fast all the soldiers saw was a dark cloud that sneaked beside them. Everyone was so shocked they couldn't do anything, the ray came from Vicky, and she had saved the dark creature. It consumed the little strength she had so she fainted.

Sei-lin guessed who the vampire was, he was probably the responsible for her sister's wounds and a witness of their power ergo a possible source for the other dark beings.

…………………………………………………………

-"How is your sister?"- Ludican asked sei-lin concerned; the princess was still in the infirmary of their new home, a manor hidden deep in the countryside.

-"She is still weak, but recovering fast. I have a mission for you. Before Victoria was ascended she had befriended a vampire named Henry Fitzroy. She still cares for him but he witnessed her powers, he is a liability so I need you to kill him. I won't lie to you he might not be evil but if he lives our entire plan could be ruined. We can't afford that"- part of her didn't like sending someone to kill an otherwise innocent creature, on the other hand no one hurted her little sister and got away from it.

-"I'll take care of it immediately"- ludican had a carnivorous smile on his fair features, he hadn't killed a vampire in a long time, they were interesting prays.


	11. Chapter 11

Vicky sighed when she entered her new place, a penthouse in the middle of the city.

Ever since Cristina's attack she had been locked down and forced to live in an isolated manor on a faraway woods, she was told to be too frail to face danger again, at least for a while. As a fae she knew she was vulnerable to iron, since most demons are vulnerable to silver that evened the ground on the battlefield, but as a newly ascended she was much more sensible than her pairs, the sole contact with iron could kill her. Even the food from the human world with all the chemicals and added minerals were poisonous for her which meant she had to go from a junk food enthusiast to a macrobiotic girl and she hated it.

She used to hear the whispers on the main hall of the manor as she usually sneaked out of the infirmary. More than once she heard Sei-lin toying with the idea to leave her out of the war and sending her back to Avalon, to make things worse even her selfish father seemed to like the idea. "She's a faelyn, skilful or not" she heard her sister say, faelyn was a term for baby fairy and it made her blood boil "My son Sadgit has offered to take her place. I disagree with my husband's plan but a faelyn shouldn't be put in this situation, Sadgit is powerful and wise, he will be a good leverage for the cause." Titania said from a hologram that was projected by a diamond that connected both worlds, the same one used in the spell that took Vicky and her new family to Avalon two years ago.

After that Vicky tried to escape and fight Astaroth on her own, how could they call her faelyn and send someone else to do her job? Whenever someone had patronized her she would prove them wrong, her sister nonetheless was much more determined that anyone she had ever met. In the end they made an agreement, she would go to Toronto and scan the territory, getting as much information as possible, not much different of the job she used to do as a detective. Depending on her performance she might be allowed to fight, but she had to keep a low profile and be home by sunset, if she didn't obey she would be send right back to Avalon. Ludican and Corinne would live with her and guard her all the time.

She was glad her new place was quite big, living with a soon-to-be-married and horny couple could be otherwise uncomfortable, still it was better than being babied by her overprotecting sister. As she scanned the living room she noticed a male jacket on the sofa, someone was in the apartment.

A handsome tall man with cinnamon skin, deep hazel eyes and fancy modern clothing came out from one of the many rooms in the penthouse and greeted them, he hugged Vicky casually and told her

-"Hey sis, how are you doing?"-

-"Sadgit? Don't get me wrong I'm glad to see you but you shouldn't be here, I won't let you replace me that easily"- Vicky was getting defensive

-"Always such a graceful lady"- he said sarcastically –"I'm not here to replace you I'm here to help you out, if you play nice we can kick some demon ass, but if you are a naughty girl and break the rules you'll be send home. Am I clear?"- His smile was kind and honest but so were his words.

-"Sure, hell it's not like I have another option right? I missed you big guy"- She hugged him back –"Besides with this two lovebirds I was feeling like a third wheel already"- She said pointing at the couple behind her but they were gone already, probably baptizing their new bed. She shook her head at their permanent display of hormones; Sadgit read her thoughts and told her cheerfully

-"You know Vic; we might make a little exception about your curfew"-

-"Really? What's on your mind?"-

-"we have a wedding coming and a bachelor/bachelorette party is in order don't you think?"-

-"I don't know, I'm not the party planning kinda girl"-

-"Just get a couple of female friends, get a few corky costumes and go to a night club"-

-"What about the dark creatures that loom in the darkness?"- She said quoting her annoying overprotective sister.

-"By girl friends, I mean Sei-lin, Corinne and other female soldiers, you'll be well protected. I'll take care of Ludican's party"-

-"Sure, how about tomorrow night?"-

-"Sounds good, now I'll leave you to rest, the sun is coming down"-

She would always miss the careless way she saw the night as a human, especially when she was with Henry, she would never admit it but for her it was a magical romantic time when she could meet him. Sometimes she believed she could see the night through his eyes, vibrant lights shone brighter in the dark. But faes knew too much about the darkness, they sensed the predators and smelled the blood on their breaths.

Still she looked forward to the next night; she just hoped Henry was out of town already, she didn't want to see how her family would destroy him if he came near her. He had fled once, when she was alone and vulnerable, now that she was powerful and very well protected he had no reason to stay.

………………………………………………………….

Henry stepped into Dr. Sagara's office, in the receiver sat Michael Celucci with a bemused expression on his face. He could hear Sagara having a loud conversation with another woman behind a closed door in a more private place of the room.

-"Would you mind explaining me what did you wanted to talk to me about? It is early and I haven't fed yet"- he said in his usual snobby voice.

-"Mohadevan analyzed the blood samples we found in Cristina's basement, the results were so weird she had to chat with an specialist in well… weirdness"-

-"So you brought her here"- he stated.

-"yup, and they have been jumping around ever since they got some answers"- he chuckled –"They are so crazy I'm having trouble to believe them myself"-

-"And what would those answers be?"-

-"Vicky's dad is a powerful guy, a fae as you call him. Apparently he can turn his offspring into faes too if he wants, even if they are born humans"-

-"So Oberon turned Vicky into…"-

-"Tinkerbell!"-

-"I see…"-

-"As a fae, she's immortal unless someone uses iron against her; it's the only thing that could kill her. The black blood is hers, Rajani says it is like ordinary blood except that human is red because is iron based, while hers is black because is based on silver. Sagara says that any dark creature that dares to feed from a fae will die of poisoning, but if a human drinks it his wounds and diseases will heal, some sources say it might prolong human life."-

-"So I can't drink her blood but you could? That _**is**_ weird"-

-"I wouldn't go anywhere near them if I were you, fairies and vampires are natural enemies. Vicky warned you about what her family could do if you came to see her, didn't she?"- Sagara said stepping from the other room, greeting Henry.

-"Yes and I don't like being ordered around, I'll see her as much as I want"-

-"Knock yourself out, but don't come bitching at me if they put a silver stake up your ass"- Mike interjected

-"He's right Henry, if they wanted you dead the could succeed easily"- Sagara agreed

Henry sighed and told Michael

-"Could you track her down detective?

-"I'll try, even an almighty fairy royal family should leave some trail"- Mike sighed, when did he and the bloodsucker began to work together?

……………………………………………………………………..

To Vicky's surprise the entourage of Corinne's bachelorette party walked from the penthouse to the club, usually she was forced to travel on cars or limos anywhere. It was dangerous to walk alone ever since Cristina got her hands on her, but being surrounded by warriors and her sister was apparently safe enough. She enjoyed the fresh cold air of the fading winter, even when it reminded her of how trapped she truly was, locked down under golden doors, fears and obligations. She wished she could go back to a simpler time, before Henry and Astaroth, when she was just a single private detective and the only chains in her life were her almost useless eyes.

The secret garden was a very exclusive night club, her sister got them to the VIP section without making the line. Corinne was dressed in a skimpy version of red robin hood costume, while the rest of her friends had wolf masks; some of them even had fake furry tails.

Vicky enjoyed the illusion of normality until the few drinks she had went to her head. She excused herself to go to the bathroom but instead she climbed the stairs that led to the terrace on top of the building. The sight of the full moon and the bright city lights brought a smile on her lips, even as the dizziness got worse.

-"Vicky?"- An all too familiar voice came from behind; she turned praying it was just an illusion.

-"Henry! Get out of here before they find you"- she was hyperventilating

-"I followed your scent Vicky, and no one can keep me away from you, not your family nor Astaroth, not even Mike. I'm not leaving you again"- He held her in his arms, she seemed to loose balance, as if the faintest breeze could knock her down. She was much more beautiful than he remembered, her skin had a healthier golden tone that almost mingled with the deep copper on her cocktail dress, and her eyes were brighter and more vivid. Still it was her scent that changed the most, deprived of its usual humanity it lacked the intoxicating musk that used to overload his senses, in its place a cleaner floral smell surrounded her. He sat her down to a nearby bench; she eased his worries when she told him she had a few many drinks.

-"You never seemed to have problems with alcohol"- he had seen her many times with a glass of whisky or a dirty martini on her hands.

-"You're right I didn't, but these days you never know"- As the weakness crept over her dark ideas formed in her mind. She had walked around the city for almost forty minutes; her sore feet trapped in stilettos still reminded her of that, she had probably left her scent all over the city allowing Henry to track her easily. Didn't her paranoid family members thought that could happen? An undiscovered leak gave the information of Norieth's place and several demons attacked his manor, hadn't been for the powerful army faes and soldiers would have died. Ever since then they had a cero tolerance attitude towards outsiders that border lined agoraphobia, yet they had came out tonight and mingled among humans and other beings, something didn't add up.

She realized what was going on when she saw Corinne stepping into the terrace, the party was an excuse to lure Henry into a vulnerable position using Vicky as bait, they had drugged her drinks to keep her from interfering and Corinne would be the one that killed him or led him to Ludican so he could finish him off, they knew Henry would trust her. The last words Vicky said before losing consciousness was "Henry run", he tried to make sense of them but Corinne told him it was nothing, that she was a little drunk. After putting Vicky in a more comfortable position he tried to tell the former assistant to call a doctor but she only smiled at him kindly

-"She's gonna be fine Henry trust me, she just had a little mandragora root with her drinks that's all"- she told him sweetly.

-"Why would she?"- The vampire couldn't finish the sentence for Corinne had stabbed him with a silver dagger on his side.

Henry Fitzroy was well familiarized with betrayal but not in a thousand years he would have thought Corinne would try to kill him. She answered the question plastered on his eyes with a voice so cold and harsh it didn't sound like her.

-"It's not personal; I'm just doing my job. The fact that you are a coward son of a bitch that left us alone in the face of hell is only a bonus"- she shrugged.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter twelve

Corinne would have in consideration the memories she had on Henry, instead of letting her fiancée play with his pray as he usually did, she chose to finish him off in the fastest and most humane way possible before Ludican got to him.

Ceremoniously Sei-lin came from behind her and handled the girl a small well sharpened axe so she could chop his head off. She swung the axe backwards but it fell from her hands when a bullet struck her fingers.

-"Freeze!"- Mike screamed, he held his gun tight so no one would notice he was shaking. Not in a million years he thought he would be saving the vampire from Corinne, Henry lie in the ground paralyzed, Mike cringed at the thought that he would have to feed him if he didn't wanted that leach to die. From what Sagara said he knew he was in trouble, the tall Chinese woman was clearly a fae and she could kill him practically by snapping her fingers. He heard the whistle of the wind, dark fog materialized from nowhere and out of it Ludican emerged.

-"I guess I got late for the vampire killing but I'll have my fun with this one. Corinne darling you can have what's left of the nightwalker, consider it a wedding gift"- The sadistic grin Ludican gave him made Mike want to run away. Vicky was safe, why should he risk his life for a bloodsucker that screw up his life? The only reason he followed Henry to the club was to get to Vicky, but he disobeyed the logical voice inside his head and stood in front of the vampire with nothing more than his gun.

-"The bullets in this gun have iron, they can kill both faes and humans"- he failed when trying to sound intimidating.

-"But not me"- Ludican wasn't a fae he was a rare type of lycanthroph.

-"Ludican that's enough"- Sei-lin raised her voice –"One thing is to kill something that died already"- she said pointing at Henry, the vampire had never felt so insulted in his life –"but an innocent human is not something expendable"-

-"I got it"- Corinne said simply, she took some dust from the pouch on her purse and blew it on Mike's face –"Sweet dreams asshole"-

Mike fell asleep immediately but no one knew he had saved the vampire already, when he stood in front of him Henry had discretely fed from the man's ankle, they were too busy staring at the gun to notice. When Celucci fell Henry fed from his neck once more, now healed he was strong enough to run at supernatural speed, all Corinne saw before the axe hit the ground was a blur that disappeared from the building, taking Vicky with him.

Henry went to his new residence with Vicky in his arms; he hoped the faes didn't know its location. Sei-lin had expressed her decision not to kill the detective; Henry knew they wouldn't harm him.

His new apartment was much smaller than the one he used to own, but when you are hiding from powerful beings it is important to keep a low profile. He placed Vicky in his bed and cuddled by her side, when she woke up she would probably leave, maybe because she saw him as a monster or maybe she hadn't forgave him for leaving her alone. He wished he had stayed, perhaps that way he wouldn't see the distrust her eyes now showed him. "What's done it's done. You can't change the past, just the future" he thought, but in the present she was asleep safely in his arms, in that particular moment she was his.

He was about to bend over her so he could place a kiss on her lips and found her eyes snapped open.

"you are an idiot"- She said dryly

"And you know how to break the mood" he answered bemused; nothing could ever change Vicky, not even the fae blood.

She listened with wide eyes the story of how Henry had managed to escape the assassination attempt but she wasn't shocked by Corinne's cruelness.

-"She is a soldier now, she was trained to cope with the fact her colleagues could easily die in battle and to achieve an objective even if it means you have to loose your life or the ones you care about. As a dark creature you are a liability and fighting on the enemy's side, if killing you is the only way to win the war she'll do it without hesitate."-

-"That I might understand, if anything I'm experienced about is the art of war, what truly shocks me is the fact that she seemed to enjoy it"-

Vicky knew why Corinne hated Henry and Mike, she had been by her side all the times she wept for them, after joining the army and being with Ludican the anger she felt for both men was fuelled by blood thirst.

-"What about mike? Did you leave him with my family?"- She changed the subject so she wouldn't have to explain Corinne's actions

-"Yes, your sister said an innocent human life wasn't expendable. I assume she won't hurt him"-

-"Nah, she'll probably just brainwash him and drop him off in a foreign country with a false name and no recollection of who he is, he'll be fine"- she said sarcastically pacing across the room.

Henry chuckled and Vicky gave him a serious stare

-"I'm not joking, she's done that with other people and for much less"- she was worried, her sister could be a little too harsh on mortals.

-"For creatures of light your race has very dark and violent ways"-

-"Light and dark has nothing to do with good and evil"- Her family refused to believe it but the leak in information that caused the attack on their previous manor probably came from one of them, a fae was on Astaroth's side

-"The sun is coming, if you manage to speak with Mike tell him I'm thankful for saving my life"- he was about to fall asleep. –"I assume you won't be here when I wake up"- he told her sadly

-"No Henry, I won't stay"- she whispered a few seconds before he fell asleep.

She placed a nearby comforter on top of him and made sure all gates were locked tightly so no sunlight could leak in

When she arrived at the penthouse her brother greeted her

-"Hi Vic, fun night huh?"- He told her casually

-"Son of a bitch, you were in it! You only let me stay here so you could set a trap for Henry"- Vicky was about to show him how many karate moves she had learned even before they trained her in Avalon.

-"Don't be such a drama queen you should have seen it coming, anyway it doesn't matter, your beloved animated corpse is off the hook"- he said as her fist froze, inches from his face

-"What do you mean?"-

-"Sei-lin spared him; she made a deal with the detective. The vampire's life in exchange for his services"-

-"His services? Which services?-

-"Mike is now a proud member of our great army, he knows this world and the territory, his payment will be the pardon on the vampire. That of course doesn't mean we trust him, your living-dead friend will be on constant surveillance. Who knows, maybe he'll give us some Intel from the enemy's side"-

-"why would Mike make such a deal? It doesn't make sense"- Vicky didn't like were this was going

-"if you ask me I think he loves it. You should see him he's training at the manor"- He said as he gave her keys to her new car, probably a bribe from her father.

………………………………………..

The trip to the new palace was longer than she had expected, spring hadn't begun yet so nightfall came early, she cursed as the sky turned into a vibrant symphony of reds and gold, she would have to spend the night in the manor.

As she stepped closer to the massive garden she saw a large group of soldiers doing training exercises. They were separated in two sides and fought as they were on battle, the swords were made of blunt wood so there was no permanent damage, aside from that all the other techniques were real, the blur of bodies in motion made it hard for her to recognize Mike among them. Until one warrior begun to lead his group against the other in a direct attack, his sword hit the enemy side with force, his team was wining in spite of their lack of organization. The champion simply hit the members of the opposite team with strong and well placed blows, mostly in the head, throat and chest, not even the improvised armours stood against his strength.

Every time some one resisted his blows he would use his legs to kick or twist the opponent's knees, knocking them of their balance, in a real battlefield the warrior that fell to the ground would be stomped to their death. In a desperate attempt to stop him four soldiers threw themselves on top of him at the same time, that held him down for a few minutes, until the champion lifted the smaller one of the group and swung him around, using him as a weapon to knock the other men.

-"Enough gentlemen"- Sei-lin said softly and all the soldiers froze in place, except for the leading man who was still swinging the other small warrior, as he realized the exercise was over he laid the other man to the floor gently. The smaller soldier was dizzy, but unharmed. In fact all of them were well, the blows were given on a way that caused effect but their real impact was much smaller than it would be in the real battle. For all the displayed brutality the leading warrior had always controlled his strength.

-"Mike? Is that you?"- She couldn't believe the Conan-like warrior was in fact none other than Celucci

-"hey Vic what's up? We were just training. By the way… this is awesome! I hadn't this much fun since college football"- he said with a childish grin

-"I see. Sei-lin, why the fuck is Mike "playing football" with our soldiers?"- She whispered in the edge of exasperation.

-"I have my reasons mei-mei. The detective was investigating us and the vampire kept following you. There is no point in trying to stop them so instead I'll make Michael fight for our side, that way I'll be able to control him and Henry will be under our surveillance at all times, he will serve us as a spy"- she answered calmly

-"I don't know how the hell you convinced Mike to fight for you but there's no way Henry would spy on the dark side"-

-"He will, whether he likes it or not"- her sister said in her ultimatum tone. Vicky had no doubt; Seil-lin was up to something


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter thirteen

Johnny drank his whiskey in one gulp, the dark pub he was in reeked of human decay and blood. His real name was Rostriath and he was a demon. In the evil social scale he was low but maybe if he played his part right for Astaroth things might change, he could get powers right from the source instead of having to feed from pathetic humans in order to survive. His human guise was of an old man with a sad look in his eyes and rumpled clothing. The disguise of the man he was supposed to meet was much more ironic, the most powerful demon that walked the earth actually took the form of a priest; he even managed to look like a kind caring person. His victims came to him for advice and comfort and by the time he attacked they had no idea of what had hit them.

The body of father Cascioli sat besides Johnny and laid a comforting hand on his back, to the dammed souls in that pub that still needed a drink at Friday morning he looked like a priest trying to help an alcoholic to quit drinking.

-"According to my sources you have vital information for me"- Astaroth said trough gritted teeth –"If this is a waste of my valuable time you will regret it"-

-"The fairies know you are gonna attack them next week, they even know where. Apparently they have someone working for them in the dark side; they have an ambush planned already"- he said never raising his face from the empty glass

-"Fitzroy!"- Astaroth cursed, he knew the vampire would spy for the faes but he had no idea he would actually succeed, maybe the nightwalker was more resourceful than he thought. –"Rostriath, call the others we attack tonight"- He said gravely

-"Good idea boss. I heard they have a big party tonight, a wedding I think. They won't see it coming"- the sad old man took off his hat, gave a small bow at the priest in front of him and left as stealthy as he came.

Henry had managed to get inside the fae's manor; avoiding the heavy surveillance was hard but those humans were no match for him. Ever since he was little he loved weddings, it was in such important festivities that he was able to spend some time with his father without raising too much gossip about his origin. Most times during his mortal life marriage was nothing more than a contract the bonded two strangers in order of political and or monetary profit, but there were rare occasions in which the ceremony truly united two persons in love, and those were happy and vibrant times.

What he really loved about weddings wasn't the ceremony itself but the previous preparations, particularly when all the women hovered near the bride right before she walked down the aisle. He managed to sneak in the room were Corinne was making the final preparations; he hid on the closet before they entered. The bride's maids were Vicky, Sei-lin and Amber, a promising soldier who had joined the military recently. She had been part of the welcome committee that received them when they came from Avalon, she knew much about white magic but her incipient fighting skills earned her a place in the army.

To Henry the sight of women in such a private and feminine situation was worth the punishment he could suffer if caught. Amber was kneeling on the floor fixing Corinne's large flowing dress, the skirt had many layers which made the dress magnificent but quite uncomfortable, her tight corset didn't help either. True to her nature the dress was gothic, made of lavender silk with delicate details in black, her veil was black also(witch according to Sei-lin would bring bad luck) and she had also black fingerless transparent gloves. Henry couldn't see the bride's maids outfits for they had robes on, judging by the way they self consciously tried to close their robes tighter and the very heavy Goth make up they weared he assumed they were embarrassed by them.

-"Put these on, my mother just gave'em to me, she burrowed them to you and they are a family relic so they're old too"- Vicky said as she gently placed delicate silver earrings on Corinne's ear lobes

-"And my gift to you is this dagger, it was recently made for this occasion and as you can see it has blue zephyrs on its handle"- Sei-lin said while placing the knife right below her left glove.

Henry swallowed, the bride had tried to kill him and now she had a knife literally below her sleeve.

-"By the way Corinne, before you walk on the aisle there is something I need to tell you"- Vicky said seriously and looked deeply into her eyes.

-"What is it?"-

-"You are by far the cruellest bride I've ever seen! How could you make us wear this?"- she said opening her robe, the bride's maids outfit consisted in a black corset with small details of red, the shape was the same as the bride's but instead of a big skirt they had to wear a very small crimson red silk skirt that barely covered their asses, to make things worse the outfit was complemented by mid thigh black silk stockings and red stiletto heels.

-"Victoria is right, this is not appropriate for a wedding"- Sei-lin said exposing her clothes as well, only she could look dignified wearing that

-"I agree with them, I knew the bride's maids outfits were ridiculous but I was thinking more in the line of lime green puffy dresses than in pussycat doll's costumes"- Amber said nervous, she was self conscious of her body shape, she was much taller and a bit wider than most girls, in combat training she had been often confused with a boy.

Henry had to cover his mouth to muffle his giggles; he couldn't take his eyes away from Vicky's semi exposed form. He would find the way to get into the wedding, there was no way he could stay away from Vicky, not when she looked so scrumptious.

-"Yeah well deal with it, this is a theme wedding named Inferno and you match the theme. Oh and Amber… take off the robe we are getting late"- Corinne said as if that would prove her point.

When Amber obeyed everyone in the room gasped except for Corinne, the shy tomboy had in fact an exuberant statuesque body, her large breasts and perky butt, along with her small waist and long legs made the skimpy costume look downright indecent.

-"Wow! Amber were had you been hiding it? And why?"- Vicky said pleasantly surprised.

-"Someone is catching my bouquet tonight!"- Corinne smiled mischievously and entered the improvised church.

It had been the creepiest wedding Mike had to witness; it wasn't so much for the dark decoration as it was that the priest refused to leave the black shrine right after the ceremony. He was sure the poor father had a big tent in his pants to hide, looking at Vicky's long exposed legs he couldn't blame him.

He was sure this was the only wedding in which no one paid attention to the bride, Amber's huge cleavage had taken over the stage. He felt sorry for the girl, the heavy make up she had on wasn't responsible for the deep blush on her cheeks and the hungry look on every guy in the room promised she would be in trouble by the time she got to the reception.

When the bride left the church she expected to have all her friends cheering and throwing rice at her, instead the people waiting for them was dead silent, paralyzed with fear.

Surrounding the church there was a large army of demons about to charge.


End file.
